Jorge Quinteros

Inside Fort El Morro

Not visiting Fort El Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico is the straightforward equivalence of taking the 11 and a half hour plane ride from New York to Cairo, Egypt and not touring the Pyramids. Walking through the fort is an unreal experience where you’re likely to feel chills looking at the historic artifacts and realizing that 500 years ago, the place withstood several attacks by intruders trying to take over the island.

The structure is very unique, it’s very well preserved. The view of San Juan harbor is fantastic. It’s within walking distance to the great walls near the harbor. The folks from the National Park Service take the time to explain the different parts of the structure and history but if you’d rather visit on your own, there is a shop in the premise for you to purchase souvenirs and booklets with information.

From a photographer’s perspective, the photo opportunities are endless especially if you’re lucky enough to own a fisheye lens.

Awaiting Sunrise

Land based vacations are enjoyable, but I’ve already grown accustom to waking up in a different country before the sun rises. Most of our recent travels have involved cruise lines and the idea of exploring new beaches, different cultures and exotics foods has become a theme which I’m not ready to give up yet .

Normally we’ve always settle for interior rooms that often resemble a jail cell but on this occasion we splurged on one with a balcony view. By choice, I slept on the side of the bed closest to the window so that I can quickly calculate when was the ideal time to sneak out and shoot a sunrise. I took this photograph as the sun slowly ascended in San Juan, Puerto Rico as our ship was docking back.

Circular View

My first encounter with Puerto Rico was via a cruise ship vacation and if you ever have the opportunity to visit this vibrant city, one of the many must-see locations is the historic and very well preserved Fort El Morro.

The view from within this old Spanish fortress is breathtaking. Walking through the tunnels, courtyards, seeing cannons and jail cells with the deep blue colors of the Atlantic ocean as a backdrop makes one feel as though you’ve been transported back to the times of colonial battle.

Needless to say the place is ideal for history buffs but even more so for photographers. Following a self-guided exploration of the place, I captured the most spectacular view I’ve ever came across in a public bathroom. The opening was smaller than it looks but it comes across amplified because it was taken with the Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye f/2.8.

Weeks after the cruise, Carnival was having a contest asking recent travelers to submit a photograph from one of the many ports of call and 2 months later I was awarded 1st place with main prize involved being published and a Nikon CoolPix L100 camera as an added bonus. I framed 1 of the 2 issues they mailed me and the camera I gave it to my wife.

Capital Building

My wife is Puerto Rican so I like to think that this beautiful island in the Caribbean has become a part of me because our children will undoubtedly have a piece of the culture in them. Through the nature of extensive cruise vacations, I’ve had the opportunity to visit twice and every visit has developed a more solid admiration for the beaches, rivers, forest, city and most importantly the people that comprise it.

When is the best time to visit? It’s actually perfect all year around, even when it’s raining it will never get too hot or too cold but the worst thing you can do is leave without a full blown tan while touring the city. The food is unique and delicious which I can personally vouch because my wife is a fantastic cook with Puerto Rico food being her specialty.

The majority of the population speaks both English and Spanish fluently which eliminates any language barrier although I personally enjoy speaking Spanish while I’m there because I feel it immerses me more into the culture.

We stayed specifically in Old San Juan but my intention on the next visit is to stay for a longer period of time, rent a jeep and drive around other cities on the island armed with my photographic gear and a big appetite. We came across this capital building as underestimated how long of a walk existed between our hotel and Old San Juan but the scenery was well worth it.